We recognise that cerebral palsy is not just a childhood condition, and we are committed to ensuring that people living with cerebral palsy have access to appropriate support and services at all stages of their life, so they can fulfil their potential and lead happy, healthy and productive lives.

NHS England has worked with key stakeholders to develop a framework to aid integrated care systems to commission high-quality services for children and young people with cerebral palsy, including as they transition to adult services.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on cerebral palsy in under 25 year olds includes recommendations on the transition from children’s to adult services and stresses the requirement to ensure that an individual's developmental, social, and health needs are addressed when planning and delivering transition.

The NICE guidance also sets out key considerations to be made around transition planning, including clear pathways involving both the young person's general practice and named clinicians in adult services, ensuring sufficient training for professionals involved in care, clear communication at each point of transition, and a named worker to support continuity of care.

This is further reiterated in the service specification for specialised adult neurology services, which was updated by NHS England in August 2025. It sets out the pathway for transition from paediatric to adult for patients with neurological conditions that are diagnosed in childhood, such as cerebral palsy. It states that adequate planning and support is required to ensure continuity of care. The process should ensure that young people are equal partners in planning and decision-making and that their preferences and wishes are central throughout transition. There should be close collaboration between paediatric and adult neurology services to ensure effective transition.